The invention relates generally to a barrier such as a safety gate that is removably insertable into an opening such as a doorway. Such gates are used, for example, to prevent an infant, a child or a pet from passing through the doorway. More specifically, the invention relates to an adjustable width, pressure-fit gate that is frictionally retained in the doorway opening by application of outward lateral force to the sides of the opening.
Various types of adjustable-width pressure-fit gates are known. For example, the gate disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,851,746 to McPhaden includes upper and lower cross-members that each have a pivoting toggle portion so that the gate length is shortened when the toggles are raised and the gate length is extended when the toggles are depressed. U.S. Pat. No. 2,756,469 to Cattermole et al. depicts a gate in which the upper and lower cross members have plungers telescoping out from one end. A pivoting lever handle has gear teeth that engage a rack on the plungers to extend the plungers to expand the gate for pressure fit. U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,146 to Kuniholm discloses an expandable gate featuring a lever link arrangement that extends upper and lower plungers to pressure-fit the gate. In each of these gates, the overall unexpanded gate width can be adjusted and set across a range of widths to correspond to the doorway opening width. The toggle or lever is then activated to expand the overall width of the gate to pressure-fit it into the opening by application of lateral force to the sides of the doorway.
However, in each of the gates described in the McPhaden, Cattermole et al., and Kuniholm patents, adjusting the width of the gate to fit the doorway opening width requires the user to make two separate adjustments--both upper and lower. In McPhaden and Cattermole et al., the user must tighten both upper and lower locking bolts to adjust and set the width of the gate. In Kuniholm, the user must adjust upper and lower threaded plungers. Thus, the user is required to adjust and set the gate width in two places.
In addition, each of these designs in the McPhaden, Cattermole et al., and Kuniholm patents require both upper and lower lever arms along the upper and lower cross members of the gate. This duplication of lever mechanisms undesirably increases the complexity of the gate as compared to a gate having a single lever mechanism.
Pressure-fit gates are also known that utilize two generally similar overlapping panels. For example, the gate described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,163,205 to Gottlieb includes two overlapping panels supported between upper and lower cross members. Each cross member includes two telescoping tubes connected by an expansion lever device. The unexpanded gate width is not locked. Rather, the gate panels are moved to a suitable unexpanded width and the upper and lower lever handles are separately activated to separately expand the upper and lower cross members to pressure-fit the gate. Accordingly, this design also suffers from the disadvantage of requiring the user to engage both upper and lower lever handles to pressure-fit the gate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,461 to Stern discloses a gate having overlapping panels where one of the panels features a central squeeze activated handle. Activating the handle retracts or releases spring loaded plungers on the side of the gate to retain the gate in the opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,455 to Bluem et al. also discloses a gate having overlapping panels. The upper and lower sliders connecting the panels do not lock. Rather, a handle is provided on one of the panels which can be rotated to a position where it does not engage with a rack on the other panel and the panels may be slid freely to adjust the overall width of the gate. When the handle is then rotated, teeth connected to the handle engage the rack and spread the two overlapping sections apart to frictionally retain the gate. This gate suffers from the disadvantage that the unexpanded gate width cannot be conveniently set for repeated use. Accordingly, the user must perform the procedure of adjusting the unexpanded width of the gate before each time the handle is activated. This requirement that the unexpanded width of the gate be readjusted each time the gate is reinstalled requires an extra step on the part of the user as opposed to a gate where the unexpanded width can be selectively fixed for multiple installation and removal procedures.
Accordingly, there is a need for a pressure-fit gate assembly that provides a single adjustment for selectively fixing the unexpanded width of the gate along with a convenient mechanism for expanding the gate for pressure-fit.